75 Time Management Quotes That Will Change How You See Your Day
These time management quotes will inspire you to rethink how you spend your time and create a more intentional, values-driven day.
As a Mindset and Productivity Coach for Perfectionists (and a recovering perfectionist myself), I’ve had to completely change how I view time.
I used to see it as a ticking time bomb. I always felt so much pressure to get everything done, which caused me to go through cycles of go-go-go and burnout.
Through trial and error, I’ve learned to approach time with a healthier, more mindful mindset that encourages me to be present and grateful for each and every moment.
I’ve handpicked these quotes and broken them down into 7 different categories that I think will help you in your journey to better productivity. I hope you feel inspired and motivated after reading these quotes.
Quotes about prioritising
These quotes are all about choosing the things you want to prioritise in life. At the end of the day, you only have one life and limited time, so trying to fit in everything is impossible. That is why you need to prioritise the things that are most important to you.
- “The key is not to prioritise what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” — Stephen Covey
- “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- “If you don’t prioritise your life, someone else will.” — Greg McKeown
- “Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” — Stephen Covey
- “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.” — Jessica Jackley
- “Your priorities aren’t what you say they are. They are revealed by how you live.” — Unknown
- “There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing.” — Brian Tracy
- “Prioritise what matters. You can’t be everywhere, do everything, and have everything.” — Oprah Winfrey
- “Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.” — Cal Newport
Mindset shifts for productivity quotes
I’ve included these quotes in the list because I believe in order to fully appreciate the other quotes about time, you’ll need to have a mindset shift that changes your perspective. These quotes will help you with that.
- “Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” — Paul J. Meyer
- “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
- “The more you focus on using time well, the more meaningless it becomes to use it in the first place.” Oliver Burkeman
- “Discipline is not punishment; it’s freedom.” — Leila Hormozi
- “You and everyone you know are going to be dead soon. And in the short amount of time between here and there, you have a limited amount of f**ks to give. Very few, in fact. And if you go around giving a f**k about everything and everyone without conscious thought or choice—well, then you’re going to get f**ked.” — Mark Manson
- “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” — Walt Disney
- “It’s not about having time; it’s about making time.” — Unknown
- “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” — Sam Levenson
- “Done is better than perfect.” — Sheryl Sandberg
- “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” — Robert Collier
- “My biggest discovery was that you can literally re-create your life. You can redefine it. You don’t have to live in the past. I found that not only did I have fight in me, I had love.” — Viola Davis
- “Why look back when you can look forward? Why look in when you can look out? Where’s the next evolution?” — Edward Enninful
Taking Ownership of Your Time quotes
You will need to take ownership of your life. There’s no point blaming others for your lack of time or ruminating over the past because it will keep you stuck, repeating the same cycles. You need to take responsibility for your present and future so that you can get the most out of life.
- “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four-hour days.” – Zig Ziglar
- “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” — Michael Altshuler
- “There is no other currency we have in our lives that’s greater than time. It’s both free and priceless – the person you are now is a consequence of how you used your time in the past. The person you’ll become in the future is a consequence of how you use your time in the present. Spend your time wisely, gamble it intrinsically and save it diligently.” — Steven Bartlett
- “Imagine if you used your spare time to build a life you love rather than escape from your current one” — Leila Hormozi
- “Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.’” — Lao Tzu
- “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” — Annie Dillard
- “It’s not that we have little time, but more that we waste a good deal of it.” — Seneca
- “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” — Abraham Lincoln
- “What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.” — Ralph Marston
- “Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else.” — Peter Drucker
- “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself.” — Jim Rohn
- “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” — Steve Jobs
- “You don’t need more time. …you just need to decide.” — Seth Godin
The Value of Time quotes
Time is our most valuable resource in life, and these quotes are here to help you realise that. I hope these quotes will inspire you to look at time differently and change your behaviour around how you use it. No more wasting time on trivial things that aren’t important.
- “Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.” — Jim Rohn
- “The most precious resource we all have is time.” — Steve Jobs
- “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent.” — Carl Sandburg
- “You can spend your time regretting the past, or you can spend your time preparing for the future”. — Leila Hormozi
- “The trouble is, you think you have time.” — Jack Kornfield
- “Waste your money and you’re only out of money, but waste your time and you’ve lost a part of your life.” — Michael LeBoeuf
- “Time isn’t the main thing. It’s the only thing.” — Miles Davis
- “Lost time is never found again.” — Benjamin Franklin
- “You may delay, but time will not.” — Benjamin Franklin
- “If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” — Bruce Lee
- “Time slips away like grains of sand never to return again.” — Robin Sharma
- “Spending your time to buy stuff to impress people you don’t like is a fool’s errand.” Morgan Housel
Quotes about avoiding distraction
Distractions are everywhere, you just can’t escape them. Or can you? These quotes have been compiled to help you see the cost of each and every distraction you face in your life. No more excuses.
- “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.” — Winston Churchill
- “What you stay focused on will grow.” — Roy T. Bennett
- “Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time and more tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?’” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Stop managing your time. Start managing your focus.” — Robin Sharma
- “Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” — Socrates
- “The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.” — William James
- “Your life is controlled by what you focus on.” — Tony Robbins
- “Distractions are everywhere; a wise man learns to stay focused on his path.” — Maxime Lagacé
- “It is those who concentrate on but one thing at a time who advance in this world.” — Og Mandino
- “He who chases two rabbits catches neither.” — Russian Proverb
- “Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.” — Abraham Lincoln
- “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” — Peter Drucker
Time boundaries quotes
Setting and implementing boundaries is a skill that a lot of us struggle with in our adult lives. Time boundaries are just as important as other types of boundaries and deserve full respect.
- “You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically—to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside.” — Stephen Covey
- “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.” — Warren Buffett
- The most important time management hack is deciding what’s not worth doing. Just because something gets you a return on time doesn’t mean it’s your BEST return on time – Alex Hormozi
- “You get what you tolerate.” — Henry Cloud
- “Saying yes to happiness means learning to say no to things and people that stress you out.” — Thema Davis
- “You can do anything, but not everything.” — David Allen
- “Don’t say maybe if you want to say no.” — Paulo Coelho
- “Say no to the good so you can say yes to the best.” — John C. Maxwell
- “It’s not selfish to do what’s best for you.” — Mark Sutton
- “The things that keep you from achieving your goals are the ones you aren’t saying no to.” — Alex Hormozi
Creating time for self-care quotes
In your pursuit of the most efficient and effective time management system, please make sure you incorporate self-care into any routine you create. Not only is it good for your mental health and wellbeing, but it also increases your productivity. It is a non-negotiable priority in every productivity system.
- “Boundaries are a part of self-care. They are healthy, normal, and necessary.” — Doreen Virtue
- “Taking time to do nothing often brings everything into perspective.” — Doe Zantamata
- “Self-care means giving yourself permission to pause.” — Cecilia Tran
- “Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” — Marthe Troly-Curtin
- “Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” — Eleanor Brown
- “There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.” — Alan Cohen
- “Self-care is not a waste of time. Self-care makes your use of time more sustainable.” —Jackie Viramontez
So, what are your favourite time management quotes?
By now I hope you’ve realised that time management isn’t as simple as putting blocks in your calendar. It’s about getting into the right mindset, valuing time and prioritising the things that are most important to you.
You only have one life, and time is something even the richest person in the world can’t buy.
Add your favourite quotes to your vision board, or phone wallpaper or even write them out on post-it notes to remind you.
My favourite quote of all time (which isn’t on this list) comes from my Jamaican grandpa. He’s the most relaxed, carefree man you’ll ever meet. A couple of months ago, my dad was rushing him so we wouldn’t be late, and he simply said, ‘There’s no need to rush; time was here before you.’
It made me pause and reflect. It pretty much sums up his philosophy on life, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
What’s your favourite quote and why?
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